'Idol' Recap: 5 Of Top 9 Get Standing Ovations From Judges

In an unprecedented night of performances, more than half of the contestants got standing ovations from all three judges. Can you believe it?

The remaining nine contestants on American Idol brought the heat when they sang songs “From Their Personal Idols” March 28, leaving the judges and audience alike scratching their heads about who would come out on top tomorrow. In fact, out of the four singers who didn’t receive standing ovations — Colton Dixon, Skylar Laine, Hollie Cavanah and Jessica Sanchez, it’s nearly impossible to pick a least favorite. It’s weird to say, but there isn’t a bad egg in the whole group!

Colton Dixon: Colton sang the worship song (“Everything” by Lighthouse) that brought him to music, which I think will help him with the Christian vote. Plus, it was an incredibly moving performance, so even if you’re not into church music, you’d probably like it. “You’re a dream come true for a judge on Idol,” Stephen Tyler raved. Randy Jackson even said he was looking at a “contender for the title.” I think they’re really pushing him to be in the final three.

Skylar Laine: Skylar sang Miranda Lambert, who she’s always said is her biggest idol. The audience went crazy and the judges loved it, but it wasn’t my favorite song of the night. She’s undeniably spunky, but I thought she could have chosen a better song. Nevertheless, I want to see her around for awhile longer.

Heejun Han: First and foremost, I really don’t think Heejun meant what he said last week about not caring about the competition — it was just a defense mechanism. Thankfully, tonight he came back with a vengeance, beautifully singing “A Song for You.” “You did it! You turned it around,” Stephen said. “You just make it come alive in such a way no one else can!”

Hollie Cavanagh: Hollie had told me she had a hard time picking her song this week, but I think Carrie Underwood‘s “Jesus Take the Wheel” was a good choice. Not only did she look angelic up there in all white, she told the story beautifully. Randy wasn’t stoked she chose something from a fellow Idol, but I agreed more withJennifer Lopez. “That was one of your best,” she said. “I really felt like she connected with the song.” There’s never been a question about Hollie’s voice, but we’ve wondered about her emotional availability, so this was good to see.

Deandre Brackensick: I’m not a huge Eric Benet fan, but Deandre is so sweet and his voice is out of this world. His falsetto is nuts. “We’ve heard you try to do that before, but you didn’t quite put it in that perspective,” Stephen said. “That was special.” Like I said, Deandre is precious and after getting to know him, it’s hard to say anything but that.

Jessica Sanchez: Jessica looked sophisticated and gorgeous tonight, but I wasn’t obsessed with her rendition of Beyonce‘s “Sweet Dreams.” It was too abstract for me. “I think you’re a star no matter what,” Stephen said. “You weren’t quite there tonight but it was still delicious. It was beautiful.” She’s definitely a star, but I’m not eating it up this week.

Phillip Phillips: I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of Phillip. Luckily, he’s a guilty pleasure about whom I don’t have to feel too guilty, since he’s consistently spot on. Tonight was more of the same: charming, pitch perfect and unique. “I love the artist that you are,” Randy raved. “You are an individual.”

Joshua Ledet: Jimmy Iovine said the song Joshua sang (Mariah Carey‘s “Without You”) is one of the top five hardest songs to master. The package before his performance wasn’t super promising, but then he knocked the performance out of the park, earning a standing ovation from all three judges. “Brilliant, dude,” Randy said. “I don’t know what’s going on with tonight, but everyone here has been pushing themselves beyond,” Stephen complimented.

Elise Testone: I’m so proud of Elise. After talking to her week in and week out, it’s incredible to see her true talent come to life on stage. She’s a genuinely cool person and a rock star at heart, which she proved with her rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” “It was CRAZY!” Jennifer said. Stephen seemed actually stunned. “Nobody can sing that!” he said.

Bottom line: This is the best season of talent we’ve potentially ever seen on Idol. Everyone has the chops to make it, so it’s going to come down to personality. After tonight, my top two are Phillip and Elise. As far as who’s going home, I think it might be Deandre — especially because J. Lo said she wanted to keep him around for a “few more weeks” (aka — he’s not going to be our Idol.) If it’s one of the judges’ favorites who gets voted off, I wouldn’t be surprised if they used their save.